Authorities in Indonesia have called for closing down a crocodile farm on an island in Batam city after 105 reptiles escaped from the premises last month.
The reptiles on the loose from the Bulan Island sparked concerns about potential attacks on local residents and tourists. Authorities in Singapore were also alerted.
“We want the farm shut down,” Iman Sutiawan, the speaker of Riau Islands Legislative Council said, reported The Jakarta Post. He said the crocodile farm, aside from endangering the public, has not paid taxes in its 36 years of operations.
He said out of the 105 crocodiles, only one was still at large.
"However, this is just the management's claim. Frankly speaking, we don’t believe it. We want the company to keep searching for the remaining crocodiles and to verify the total number of escaped and captured reptiles," Mr Iman said.
According to the official, local councillors visited the crocodile farm over the weekend to check its condition after the escape of reptiles. They also demanded accountability from the management in case of future crocodile attacks.
The incident took place last month when the crocodiles escaped from the facility, managed by PT Perkasa Jagat Karunia, on 13 January when the island faced torrential downpour, causing parts of its fences around a breeding pond to collapse.
Around 800 saltwater crocodiles were reported to be on the farm, its management said.
These farmed reptiles were used for the production of various leather goods, bags, wallets, and belts.
Batam’s mayor Muhammad Rudi formed a joint team of navy, police officers, and local fishermen to catch the crocodiles. The largest crocodile captured weighed more than 1,000kg.
Officials at the local tourism agency also issued warnings for tourists to avoid entering beaches and any water bodies after the reptiles escaped.
